Selling on Value Is All About the RAS! - Part 2 - Assessment
As we discussed in Part 1, there are three simple ways to remember value based selling, which is, R.A.S. - Relationships, Assessments and Solutions. Last month, we discussed the critical value of relationships. This month's article will continue to reinforce the shift from selling to solving by exploring the A for Assessment. In other words, what are the questions to ask and the research to conduct in order to uncover what is most important to the client. Asking questions and conducting research are the most important skills that top sales professional focus upon and enable them to deliver the highest value to their customers.
There are three steps to discovering the relevant and important information you need to identify challenges and formulate solutions. The three steps of the assessment portion of the bridge include: research, discovery questions and confirming questions.
As a woman, we may be very intuitive and think we know the answers. Although that may be true in some cases, you want to be very clear about knowing and asking the customer to identify their priorities for their business.
Research: Before you call or visit a client, it is essential to conduct research about the company. Today, there are so many tools available that make it easy to be prepared. You can use the web to research the prospect's website. You can leverage Google to find industry news and trends. The library and your librarian are amazing resources. You may also want to research the prospect competitors or even some of their customers. Understanding the prospect's value chain will prepare you to appear more informed and professional than your competitors and increase your chances of winning the business.
Discovery Questions: Once you have collected information on your prospect, you are ready to dive in and go meet with the prospect. As often as possible, meeting with the Top Executive Officer, CEO, President makes the sales process easier and potentially faster than going through the ropes. Asking the CEO what business drivers are their top priorities like revenue generation, profit generation or cash flow management, will raise the level of your business acumen and speak at the same level the CEO thinks about on a daily basis. Typically, they are delighted to answer questions and talk about their challenges and how they measure success.
Confirming Questions: Once you have discovered all the business drivers specifically for that prospect. You can start asking confirming questions to understand the priority of these drivers. Why they are important and how they are impacted by your company's solutions.
If you have successfully done your homework before visit with a prospect and ask the right questions, your ability to increase your close rate, your average order size and your level of customer satisfaction dramatically. Happy solving!